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Road to the valley

I’ve been called a music snob more than once. It’s probably that I rarely like one-off songs, preferring instead to digest several or an entire album from an artist. If they can’t keep my attention for more than a few songs it falls apart for me. I mention this because I’ve been listening to Beck’s new album, Morning Phase, and it’s really good. At first I worried he simply made a companion piece for decade-old Sea Change. Then I realized this was the album Sea Change might’ve been if he weren’t so depressed at the time. It ebbs and flows; it’s not stuck on something. The repetition is gone. Sea Change was really, really good with a handful of great songs. This one is potentially that much better.

Why do I bring this up? I’ve been editing photos almost exclusively to these two albums, back to back. It’s really relaxing and probably affected my mood on this photo. This was taken on a fairly bright morning in the KwaZulu-Natal countryside, but the hint of rain left its presence felt by blanketing the mountain tops in the distance. I made this over listening to Morning Phase, and I wonder if it’s a little bit more light in feel due to not being made during Sea Change. I could’ve gone the heavier, brooding direction and produced thick – like the first album – but decided against it in the end. Music affects everything I do, and I almost always edit with headphones in my ears.Purchase a print of this photo